Twilight Wicca | Est. 2004 | Orange County, CA

September Esbat 2015

For this esbat, we raised our cone of power for the women of the Yazidi. Heather centered our ritual with an amazing chant. We’ve also made a donation to the Yazda organization. For more information, read on.

Imagine living in a world where you could be kidnapped, tortured and raped for your religious beliefs. Here, in the comfortable United States, where we can proudly display our non-mainstream beliefs on our bumper stickers and FB pages, it is hard to believe in this day and age. But for the last pagans of Iraq and Syria, it is all too real. The Islamic State (and many others, past and present) believe Melek Taus, the primary deity of the Yazidi, is the same figure as Shaitan, or the Christian Satan, and the Yazidi have long been persecuted as devil-worshippers.

Since last year, ISIS has been conducting a genocide against the Yazidi people, who live in remote mountainous regions of their territory. They systematically enter villages, kill the men and transport women as young as nine years old to slave markets for which they have established an entire legal system. Unlike Christian and Jewish captives, who can buy their freedom, the Yazidi have no recourse because of their pagan beliefs. ISIS fighters actually pray before and after raping these pagan women because they are told it is a form of worship. Over 5000 women have been abducted. The Yazda Foundation is actively saving these women by helping them escape and offering medical and psychological support. Almost 2000 women have been helped already!